I'm giving a conference talk or seminar soon
Build a short talk around one message, rehearse it to time, and handle the questions calmly.
In short
Start here, today. Write the one sentence you'd like someone to repeat to a colleague after your talk. Underneath it, list only the evidence or steps a listener needs in order to believe it. This takes about 20 minutes.
After that, work through these steps. Choose one to jump to it.
Step by step
Tick each step as you finish it. Open a step for the how.
0 of 7 steps done
Decide on one message
Write your main point in a sentence that someone from a neighbouring field would understand. Every slide should set up that point, support it, or show why it matters. Anything else goes into a backup slide at the end or stays in the paper.
Shape the talk to the slot
For a 15-minute talk, a shape that works well is about two minutes on the problem, two or three on what you did, eight or so on what you found or argue, and a minute or two on what it means. Check whether your slot includes questions, because a “20-minute slot” is often 15 minutes of talk and five of discussion. A departmental seminar is usually longer and more conversational, so you can give more context, but the single message still holds.
Make slides that support you
Slides are for the audience to look at, not for you to read. Use headlines that state the point (“Most participants stopped after the first year”), large figures with readable labels, and very little text. Redraw figures from your paper bigger and simpler, and keep your detailed notes in the speaker notes or on a printed card.
Rehearse out loud, with a timer
Say the whole talk out loud, standing up, with a timer running, more than once before the day. The first run is almost always too long, so cut content rather than planning to speak faster. Do at least one run in front of your lab group, a friend or your phone camera, and learn your opening two sentences and your final slide by heart.
Prepare for questions
Put the questions you dread into the Q&A Practice Bank, alongside the predictable ones: why this method, whether the findings generalise, how your work relates to the best-known study in the area, what you'd do differently. Draft two or three sentences for each. “I haven't looked at that yet, but here's how I'd approach it” is a perfectly good answer, and so is offering to talk afterwards.
Plan for the room and the nerves
Arrive early to check the projector, the adapter and that your file opens. Bring a PDF version on a USB stick and have water nearby. If your mind goes blank, look at the slide headline, breathe, and say the point it makes. Audiences notice pauses much less than speakers do.
Follow up afterwards
The same day, write down who asked questions or came to talk to you, and what they said. Within a week, send a short email to anyone you'd like to stay in touch with. Note any question that exposed a gap, since it is useful feedback for your next draft, and add the talk to Wins and Accomplishments and to your CV.
Words you can use
Is this you? Signs to look for
- You have a 15-minute slot and enough material for an hour.
- Your slides are your paper, cut into pieces and pasted onto a template.
- You've never said the talk out loud from start to finish.
- The question period worries you more than the talk itself.
Why this happens
Most first talks run long because they try to report everything. A conference audience is hearing a dozen talks that day and will leave with one idea from yours, two if you're lucky. Ten to twenty minutes is enough to make one argument well, show the evidence that carries it, and say why it matters. It is not enough to walk through your whole thesis.
The other problems are practical. The timing was never tested, the slides were written to be read rather than listened to, and the speaker hasn't thought about questions. None of this depends on being a natural performer. It depends on preparation, and preparation is something you can schedule.
Nerves are normal, including for people who have been presenting for decades.
Worth a look (4)
- The Thesis WhispererInger Mewburn's blog on doing a PhD, including conference life and presenting.
- Think. Check. Submit.Simple checklists to help you judge whether a journal or book publisher can be trusted before you submit. They're available in many languages.
- Open policy finderCheck a journal's open access policies, including which version of your paper you can share and where. It replaced Sherpa Romeo, so older guides may still use that name.
- DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)A curated list of peer-reviewed open access journals in every field. Use it to find journals to read and to check that a journal you're considering is legitimate.
When to bring someone in
Ask your supervisor or lab group to host a practice run, and ask them for honest timing and clarity feedback rather than encouragement. If you're presenting in a language that isn't your first, check whether your writing centre or graduate studies office offers presentation support; many do. If anxiety about speaking is affecting your health or stopping you from presenting at all, the counselling service can help.
Find the right person, or talk to Ify